Patriot's Daughter
by Caira1
Summary: Just your average 'The Patriot' but with a new character. Read and review please! (Ha ha! I figured out the problem! And I think I fixed it!)
1. Default Chapter

Chapter 1: The Post  
  
A/N: I got tired of role-playing make-believe characters in movies, so I decided to write about one instead. This is from the movie The Patriot, with Mel Gibson, Heath Ledger (*sigh*), and Gregory Smith (*squeal* from "Everwood", you ignoramuses!). In this short story, Anna is the oldest sister instead of Margaret. So it's like this: Gabriel, Anna, Thomas, Margaret, Nathan, Samuel, unnamed boy, and Susan. I'll try to make it good.  
  
The young horseman came galloping up the dirt path, eager to get his job done and be heading back home. Nathan and Samuel, working in the south field, looked up at the sound of the horse's footsteps.  
  
"Samuel! A postrider!" Nathan cried, and the two boys ran from the field. Margaret sat on the porch, teaching the youngest boy to read.  
  
"An 'R'," he said when she showed him the letter card.  
  
"Very good," she said encouragingly.  
  
Inside, Abegail and Anna worked feverishly to make bread. Abegail had just pulled out a loaf and carefully set it on the wood table; Anna worked to finish kneading the dough, her dark green dress sleeves rolled up to the elbows, flour changing her skin from tan to white.  
  
"Done kneading, Abegail," she said triumphantly, rubbing her hands on her dark blue apron.  
  
"Good. Put it on the stick and set it in the oven," she said, looking up at the sound of hooves. Anna did as she was told and quickly followed Abegail to the porch, where Margaret, her student, Nathan, and Samuel were waiting. The rider walked quickly up the porch and handed the thick wad of assorted papers to Anna's eagerly waiting hands.  
  
"Thank you," she said politely.  
  
"You're welcome," the rider said quickly, turning away and jumping on her horse. Anna stared in wonder at the papers, wanting very much so to read them. No. Must wait for Father. Grumbling to herself, she set them in his study and went back to the kitchen.  
  
Outside, Nathan and Samuel ran after the postrider, en route to the barn to get Father. Gabriel and Thomas, emerging from the woods with guns and pheasants for dinner, saw the postrider leaving the house. Thomas turned to Gabriel eagerly, his dark brown eyes (the same as his older brother's) sparkling excitedly, and began to sprint back to the house. The smaller boys reached the barn, calling, "Father! Father, a postrider!"  
  
"Did you finish planting the south field?" he called back.  
  
"More than half," Nathan replied.  
  
"Yeah, those midday swims really get to you," he mumbled, looking right at the boys.  
  
Samuel elbowed Nathan. "Told you so," he whispered, and Nathan grabbed him by the collar and pulled him away.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
Meanwhile, Thomas dumped the birds on the table with his gun and ran to Father's study where he knew the papers would be. Anna, hearing the thuds, came to investigate. Thomas was almost ripping the paper open.  
  
"Thomas." He looked up at Gabriel's voice. "Wait for Father."  
  
"Cheater," Anna told him bossily. She was only half-joking; Thomas was her closest brother and she loved him dearly. He gazed at her stonily before setting the envelope back on the table and stomping upstairs. Anna sighed and shook her head, scooping up her apron and following her younger brother. She paused outside his and Gabriel's room. She opened it hesitantly. He looked up from his soldiers; he loved painted metal soldiers and creating made-up battles where the Continental Army always won against the Redcoats.  
  
"What do you want, Anna?" he asked.  
  
"How many birds did you shoot?" she asked quietly, settling her skirts on his bed, not taking her deep blue eyes away from him. She could've easily been mistaken for his twin sister. They had the same thick, brown hair as Father and the same thin body frame. Anna was the only girl who wasn't blond like Mother once was, but other than that, she looked more like her than any of her other siblings. She even sang like Mother, with a beautiful soprano and alto voice. Aunt Charlotte used to come over and she would play the piano and sing while Anna played the violin. Father always had tears in his eyes when the two played together.  
  
"A few," Thomas replied, turning to his soldiers. "I only missed two."  
  
"That's better than last time," she said hopefully.  
  
"Gabriel didn't miss any."  
  
"He's had more practice, more time to learn."  
  
"He'll be good in the army."  
  
"Father won't let him join it, you know that."  
  
Thomas looked determined. "He said he will; he told me if they vote for war, he'll be first to join."  
  
Anna froze at this. She didn't want her brother to go to war. She knew that more people died in battles than she was told; she was far from stupid. She shook her head.  
  
"Father will stop him."  
  
"You know nothing can stop Gabriel once his mind's made up."  
  
Anna closed her eyes; she knew it was true. Shaking her head, she left her brother's room, her heart aching at the fact that her older brother might be killed in war.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
Thomas slowly moved his metal soldier across the polished wood board, raising his head as Father came down the stairs, candles in hand. Gabriel peered over the top of the book; Anna looked up from her stitching. Father merely ignored his oldest children and walked slowly into his study. Thomas slid across the floor to see if Father would open the mail. His hand paused over the envelope, then he pulled it away. Anna leaned over to see better, dropping her needle. Father looked up from his desk and said nonchalantly, "So what came in the mail?"  
  
There was a stampede into the study, the boys leading and Anna close behind. Gabriel ripped open the envelope and gave a ribboned note to Father before snatching the newspaper. Anna snatched two pages of it and gave one to Thomas to read. Gabriel's lips moved as he read the names of new soldiers.  
  
"Peter Cuppin joined the Continentals," he announced, watching Father's reaction. Anna and Thomas watched as well. "He's seventeen, a year younger than I." They waited for Father's reaction; he knew what his oldest son wanted. He ignored him, reading the note in front of him. Anna shared a worried look with Thomas. Gabriel looked defeated, something that didn't happen often.  
  
"Well, I've been called to the council board, so we're going to Charlestown."  
  
"Charlestown? We're going to Charlestown?" Thomas asked again, excitedly.  
  
"We're going to see Aunt Charlotte?" Anna cried, and Father nodded; she squealed excitedly.  
  
"We leave in the morning, so get to bed." 


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2: Charlestown  
  
Father drove the buggy ahead with the youngest boy. Thomas drove the wagon with Abegail, Margaret, Nathan, Samuel, and Susan. Anna rode her horse alongside Gabriel and his steed. She drove her ankles into the mare's sides, hurrying her so she trotted alongside the wagon, smiling at Susan and Margaret. As they neared the city, she moved her legs so that she rode sidesaddle, which was the proper way for ladies to ride horses. Anna hated it but didn't want Father to look like he couldn't handle his own daughter on a horse. She gazed at the gorgeous, humongous ships lining the harbor beside the street. Nathan pointed and waved at one of the sailors; he waved back.  
  
Anna tied up her horse outside of Aunt Charlotte's enormous house, smoothing her dark red dress and white cap. The younger children ran up the steps, screaming, "Aunt Charlotte, Aunt Charlotte!"  
  
Anna stared. Aunt Charlotte was more beautiful than ever, her skin almost white, her pale gold hair piled in curls behind her head. Her powder blue gown matched her eyes almost perfectly. Anna suddenly felt like the lowest peasant before the mightiest queen. She slowly made her way up the stairs between Gabriel and Thomas. Aunt Charlotte turned to Father, her eyes sparkling. "They're huge," she laughed. "What've you been feeding them?"  
  
"Oh, they're from good stock," he replied. "On their mother's side, of course."  
  
"Of course," she said, quieter. "Guess what I've got for you inside?" she said to the younger ones. The cry of "Presents!" went up immediately, and they ran inside. Aunt Charlotte finally caught sight of Anna, and gasped. The girl was beautiful. Her hair had been braided and pulled back into a figure-8 bun. Her skin was clear and tanned from working outside, but it made her eyes seem an impossible dark, dark blue. Aunt Charlotte smiled, trying to get her bearings; her niece was the perfect mixture of her sister and her brother-in-law.  
  
"You look beautiful, Anna," she said kindly, embracing her. With a silent nod, Anna walked inside, smiling at the compliment. Her brothers and sisters had been playing with their new presents, but Anna wasn't interested in presents. She walked outside to the balcony over the town square. A few moments later, Thomas and Gabriel joined her.  
  
"You know, Aunt Charlotte's right," Gabriel said, studying his sister. "You are beautiful, Anna."  
  
She gave him a strange look. Why did he care? But Thomas was nodding as well.  
  
"People will be looking at you differently now," he said gravely.  
  
"What's wrong with you two?" she asked, a hint of anger in her voice.  
  
"Nothing, nothing," Gabriel said, backing away. "Just telling you to be watching out; other guys will be wanting you."  
  
Anna shook her head. This was the last thing she wanted to think about now.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
Night fell quickly, and everyone was standing on the balcony. Two men hoisted burning dummies, yelling, "Down with King George!" The square was filled with people cheering with joy. Gunshots ripped thru the air, punctured by cries of "Hang 'em! Hang 'em all!" Anna watched Thomas's reaction carefully; his face was blank at the cries. Instead he searched thru the crowd for Gabriel.  
  
"Where is he?" Anna asked him. No answer. "You know where, now tell me!" Still nothing. "Has he gone to sign-"  
  
"Shhhhh!" he said vehemently, putting a hand over her mouth. Father, luckily, didn't notice. Anna bit him, and he let go, shaking his hand. His eyes roamed the crowd again.  
  
"There's Gabriel!" he cried, pointing. "Gabriel!" "Gabriel!" "Gabriel!" He looked up at the balcony and waved, smiling. Then he disappeared into the crowd again. Thomas tried to follow him with his eyes anxiously, but he soon gave up.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
The next day, Anna stayed with her little brothers and sisters, except Thomas, as the council met to decide if they were going to war. The girls made grass chains while the boys simply walked thru the crowds, searching for nothing in particular. Anna soon became impatient, waiting hour after hour. About an hour, though, after they met, Gabriel stormed out in a rage.  
  
"What is it?" Anna asked him anxiously, but he simply glowered at her. She glared back at him.  
  
"I always thought Father was a man of principle," he said quietly, not even bothering to mask his anger.  
  
"He is."  
  
"A man of principle doesn't hide behind the fact that he had a family and therefore can't make a stand on his beliefs."  
  
"Oh, Gabriel."  
  
With that, he marched away from her and stood beside the table where they signed up volunteers. He didn't take the pen, though; he simply waited. Anna went back to making the chain, her fingers shaking slightly. She had seen Gabriel and Father argue before, but she had not seen them really angry at each other. She prayed that Gabriel wouldn't do something stupid.  
  
Two hours later, a young boy threw open the door and shouted, "28-12, the levy passed!" The crowd erupted in cheers, and Gabriel hastily grabbed a pen. Father was by his side almost at once, and they talked in low tones with solemn faces. Father apparently gave up and helplessly watched his son sign up for the army. Thomas motioned her over, and she came.  
  
"Now we're at war," he said hesitantly.  
  
"Yes, I suppose we are," she said sarcastically.  
  
"We have to support Gabriel."  
  
"I'll support Gabriel. But I won't support this war." With that, she turned on her heel and grabbed Margaret and Susan, following her now silent family back to the wagon and buggies. 


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3:Gabriel's Letter  
  
Two years passed by, filled with dread and dark times. Thomas was afraid, though he never spoke aloud of it. Anna slept in his room, for company and comfort. At first, Father rejected the idea, but Anna wouldn't take no for an answer and did it anyway. He never spoke of it again.  
  
Finally, the postrider brought them another letter from Gabriel, which was just as short as his first one, and was sent to Thomas.  
  
"Dear Thomas:  
Though many seasons have passed, it seems like only yesterday when we last saw each other in Charlestown. With sadness, I learned of its recent fall to the British under General Cornwallis.  
I received a letter from Aunt Charlotte, telling me she had closed her home in Charlestown shortly after the city fell, and moved to her plantation on the Santee.  
Here in the North, our campaign has been marked by defeat and privation. Our losses have been grievous. My good friend, Peter Cuppin, fell at Elizabethtown. His death has been difficult to bear. We will march south with General Gates to fight the Recoats under Cornwallis.  
I envy you, your youth and distance from this cruel conflict of which I am a part. But I am fortunate to be serving the cause of Liberty. And though I fear death, each day in prayer I reaffirm my willingness to give my life in its service. Pray for me. But above all, pray for the cause.  
Your loving brother, Gabriel"  
  
Anna saw the look of wanting in her brother's eyes; he wanted to fight alongside Gabriel, to have his chance to prove himself. She squeezed Nathan's shoulder tighter, where he and everyone else except Father sat around Thomas as he read the letter. He folded it up carefully, putting it in his trouser pocket before standing up again.  
  
"C'mon, we have to finish working," Father called, and they all split up. Thomas went to help the workers in the field, and Father returned to plowing the west field. Nathan and Samuel ran off somewhere, and Margaret and Susan shelled peas while Anna stitched up a pair of pants with Abegail. A loud whinny disturbed them, and Anna's mare raced from the barn, Nathan and Samuel behind it, laughing. Abegail pursed her lips.  
  
"Margaret, go get your brothers, quickly." The girl stood up and ran from the steps, running behind them. Father looked up, watching the children running after the mare into the woods. Slowly grabbing his pistol, he set off after them, Thomas watching all the while with Anna.  
  
Samuel and Nathan, meanwhile, had caught up with the black mare, who was grazing alongside the river contently. They stopped, frozen in their tracks as Margaret ran up behind them.  
  
"Samuel, Nathan, come on!" she cried, frustrated. Then she stopped, sharing the horror of which her brothers were witnessing.  
  
Floating down the creek were the bloody bodies of Redcoats. The river was tainted with blood, and the dead eyes of the soldiers seem to stare into the nothingness. Margaret started shaking when one of the eyes faced her.  
  
"Children." Father paused, catching sight of the bodies. "Children, go on. Go on." Margaret wouldn't move, her feet paralyzed. He set his hands on her shoulders and she looked up at him. "Margaret, go back to the house." She nodded mutely and started to walk back up, tears streaming down her face.  
  
Anna leapt up and raced over to the sobbing girl, dropping the almost finished trousers. "Meg, honey, what is it?"  
  
"The.the.eyes.the d-dead eyes."  
  
"What eyes? What are you talking about?"  
  
"The dead soldiers. I-in the r-river."  
  
"Oh, sweetie," Anna soothed, scooping her sister in her arms and crooning to her. She carried her back to the house, where Abegail took her and brought her inside. She met Thomas's eyes that clearly read What happened? She mouthed back, "Later." Father walked back with the mare, who looked quite unfrazzled. Father, however, looked disturbed and a bit frightened. Anna said nothing to him.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
After supper, Anna helped Abegail clean up the dirty kitchen. Thomas was off some-where in the house, and the younger children were in bed. Abegail dropped a pot of dirty water all over the wood floor, and Anna jumped up in surprise at the loud clang.  
  
"Damn my shaky hands!" she cursed. "Anna, go git your brother and go git the big tub, will you?"  
  
Nodding, she picked up her skirts and ran outside into the warm summer air, shouting, "Thomas! Thomas, where are you? Thomas!" She angrily turned inside, hissing upstairs, "Thomas Martin, don't you dare make me look for you! Where are you?" She finally looked downstairs, calling, "Thomas! Thomas! You stupid git, where are you? Thomas-" She paused as she saw Father outside his study, staring at her with a mixture of hurt and a strange sadness. He slowly walked away. She peered in the study and saw Thomas put away Father's ax from Fort Wilderness. She stood in the doorway, simply saying, "Abegail needs your help."  
  
Without a word, he shoved past her, pushing her hard into the doorframe, charging upstairs quickly and slamming his bedroom door. Grumbling underneath her breath, she lightly stepped upstairs and opened his door, ready to tell him off for being so loud, when she noticed he was crying. She quietly closed the door behind her and sat on the edge of his bed, rubbing his back comfortingly.  
  
"Thomas, what happened?" she asked quietly.  
  
"H-he saw me try on h-his Redcoat uni-uniform. And he saw m-me with th-the ax."  
  
"It could be worse," she comforted.  
  
"He told m-me I couldn't f-fight until I w-was seventeen."  
  
"WHAT?"  
  
"I know! That's t-two years away!"  
  
"How dare he! How dare he! You can't fight! Gabriel didn't fight until he was eighteen, and even that was too young!"  
  
Thomas turned to face her, his face red from crying and hatred burning in his eyes. "You don't understand! You never will!"  
  
Anna immediately realized her mistake, and crooned, "No, no. You don't understand-"  
  
"NO, YOU DON'T! I've wanted to fight ever since Gabriel first spoke of war coming. I wanted to join up with him so badly, to just lie about my age and stay with him. But he said no! He said I couldn't and if I tried, he'd tell the truth!"  
  
"He actually did something smart, now, didn't he?"  
  
Thomas just cried harder. Anna moved him so his head was in the crook of her arms, and he buried his face in her shoulder and bawled. She gently rocked him and sang quietly, like Mother used to. Abegail poked her head in, looking cross, but immediately backed out when she saw Anna.  
  
It was true that Anna didn't understand. But she soon would. 


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4:Battle in the Front Yard  
  
The next evening, Father walked out onto the front porch, looking worriedly in the direction from which the enormous, resounding booms were coming from. Blasts of light from the small glade reflected in his eyes. Slowly, most everyone stood beside him.  
  
"Six pounders," he said. "Lot's of them."  
  
"Are they getting nearer?" Nathan asked, worried.  
  
"Oh, no," Father said, trying to sound hopeful. "They're probably heading in the other direction."  
  
Thomas came out with his hat and two rifles, handing one to Nathan. Anna lowered her out-reached arms to her side. Father said stonily, "Thomas, put those in the house."  
  
"But, Father, they might come up-"  
  
"Thomas. Do I have to ask you again?" The look in his eyes was nothing to be trifled with, and Thomas marched sullenly into the house, guns at hand.  
  
"WOMEN DO MORE THAN BEAR CHILDREN, THOMAS MARTIN!" Anna bellowed at him angrily. Father placed a firm hand on her shoulder, silencing her.  
  
"Why don't you stay near the house tonight, all right?" Father ordered, shooing everyone back inside.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
Margaret stood beside the window in the kitchen looking worriedly outside as the booms got louder. Samuel, who stood beside her, shuddered. "They're so loud," he said quietly.  
  
She smiled and simply said, "Sit down and I'll serve you some biscuits." Relative order was restored to the table as Nathan set down his glass.  
  
"We're gonna have to fight them off," he said determinedly.  
  
"Won't Father do that?" Samuel asked. Nathan glanced around the table at his younger brothers.  
  
"They'll probably kill us men," he said solemnly, then turned to his sisters and Abegail. "And Lord knows to you women."  
  
"Nathan," Abegail said sternly to hush him, and Anna whacked him upside the head.  
  
"Keep your dreams to yourself," she snapped, and Samuel grinned. Abegail sighed.  
  
"Anna, go git Thomas, won't you?" Anna nodded, and rose, making her way quietly up the stairs. She opened the door to Thomas's and her room quietly; she saw him working on his soldiers.  
  
"Abegail says it's time for supper," she said quietly, and he nodded, fully concentrated.  
  
"I'm almost done," he said absentmindedly. A door opened somewhere downstairs, and Anna raised her head, aware of the small noise.  
  
"Thomas, now." He looked up, surprised at the fear in her voice. Then he heard it: light footsteps from heavy boots. She raised a finger to her lips and motioned for him to follow her. The sound of a pistol cocking met their ears at the top of the stairs, and they froze, Anna clutching Thomas to her.  
  
"Slowly turn," Father's cold voice was heard by all.  
  
"Father." And then all havoc broke loose.  
  
"ABEGAIL!" Father hollered. "Water and bandages, quickly!" Anna and Thomas stampeded down the stairs at the familiarity of Gabriel's voice, even though it was exhausted and full of pain. Father gently helped hi on the divan, and Thomas raced over.  
  
"The battle, were you there?" he cried.  
  
"Have you seen any Redcoats?" Gabriel panted, breathing deeply.  
  
"No, not yet," Father said. "Abegail, the children, please."  
  
"All right, children, upstairs, come on," she herded. Anna grabbed Thomas and forced him off, stopping midway up the stairs to listen.  
  
"General Gates marched us right into Cornwallis's army," Gabriel gasped. "He sent me these dispatches. As I left.I saw the Virginia militia surrender. The Dragoons ran thru them.killed them all.over two hundred men." He paused, then with a short cry, "I have to get these dispatches."  
  
"You're in no condition to ride," Father said firmly, shoving him back down.  
  
"I have to, it's not safe here!" he cried, breathing hard as the reverberation of cannons echoed throughout the silent house. Anna shared a frightened look with Thomas, watching Father slowly leave Gabriel as he went to the front door. Anna crept slowly behind him, Thomas grasped in her shaking hands.  
  
Groups of Redcoats shot into the tiny patches of American soldiers. Most of the soldiers fell, their cries echoing in the still air. Cannons still boomed, and Anna stifled a sob.  
  
"This is what you want to do?" she said softly to Thomas. "Give up your life for stubborn men's beliefs?" Thomas was quiet; what his sister said rang partially true in his ears. The final cries of dying soldier filled the never-ending night. Thomas shook in his sleep, but Anna didn't even bother.  
  
What's the point of dreaming when it's only nightmares? 


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5:The Survivors  
  
"Thomas. Thomas, wake up."  
  
"Whu-"  
  
"Come on, Thomas, wake up."  
  
Anna slowly sat up, woken by her father's urgent pleadings. Thomas straightened, his ponytail messy and dark shadows under his eyes.  
  
"What is it?" he mumbled.  
  
"The bodies are in the field. We have to search for survivors."  
  
"What can I do?" Both men turned at Anna's question, who was sitting up straight and almost wide-awake.  
  
"Get some bandages and water ready," Father instructed. "We're going to need a lot of them."  
  
Nodding, she dressed quickly. Just as she was ready to leave the room, she stopped, thinking. Finally agreed, she took off her soiled blue apron and reached for Mother's apron, the white one with embroidered meadow flowers. She tiptoed downstairs, where Abegail was already working, ripping apart cotton flour sacks and throwing them in a corner. Anna began boiling water as Gabriel and the others slept and Father and Thomas searched for any and all survivors.  
  
Thomas couldn't believe what he saw. The bloody corpses of his countrymen, lying sprawled in the meadow he used to run in when he was a mere boy. Now he helped his father hoist a young soldier, crying in pain with a bullet to the stomach, and hobbled with him to the house. Anna laid him on a blanket on the porch, washing his wounds and giving him water. The soldier died shortly after they brought the fifth man. Without a word, Father picked up the body and took it back to the field. The porch was now strewn with moaning, agonized patients under Abegail's, Anna's, Margaret's, and Father's help.  
  
Gabriel woke in the divan, the last one to wake up. He started, alarmed by the sound of horse's and wondering for a second where he was. He peered thru the windows and saw the injured lying on pads on the porch. He walked outside, buttoning his shirt over his bandaged chest, searching out his father.  
  
A captain rode up the porch, and Gabriel hid his face, afraid of being recognized. Anna saw his dilemma and motioned the captain politely over to her father.  
  
"The King thanks you for the care of his Majesty's soldiers," he said formally. Thomas and Anna stood behind him, waiting for Father's reaction. His mouth opened a few times, but he said nothing. Thomas gave him a dirty glare, but Father missed it. New horses rode up to the house now, and the family walked around to the entrance as the Dragoons rode up to the house, changing their lives forever.  
  
A/N: I'm getting bored with this. I'll be done in about 2 more chaps. 


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6:The Rules of War  
  
Anna gripped Thomas's shoulder firmly. "Don't do anything stupid," she hissed out of the corner of her mouth.  
  
"Why are you telling me that?"  
  
"Because you usually do something stupid."  
  
Thomas glared, his jaw tight.  
  
The head of the Dragoons looked around haughtily from his horse at the family, dirty and blood- and sweat-stained. He had cold, pale blue eyes, and his body language absolutely screamed Disobey me and your head will be separated from your body. Meg's body was stiff with fear, her eyes wide.  
  
"Captain, take our men to the surgeon's at camp," he ordered. "Fire the house and barns. Kill the livestock, but keep the horses. We'll use them for the Dragoons."  
  
The captain ignored our horrified looks, but the leader did not. "Let it be known that if you harbor the enemy, you'll lose your home," he said smoothly.  
  
"But sir, what about the Rebels injured?" The injured men raised their heads, fearing what would be spoken.  
  
"Kill them."  
  
The captain stood speechless. A soldier ran from the porch with a packet of letters and handed them to the leader. "Enemy dispatches, sir," he said. The leader looked thru them carelessly.  
  
"Who carried this?" he asked nonchalantly. They all remained silent, Anna and Gabriel sharing a glance. "WHO CARRIED THIS?"  
  
Gabriel stepped forward. "I did, sir. I was injured; these people gave me care."  
  
"Send this to the commander," he instructed. "Hang him and put his body on display. He's a spy." Gabriel was seized by two soldiers. Anna struggled to hold back Thomas, who fought to get to his brother. Father tried to sway him.  
  
"Sir, he's a dispatch messenger, he cannot be held as a spy," he protested.  
  
"We're not going to hold him," he said with a smirk. "We're going to hang him."  
  
"But sir, by the rules of war-"  
  
"Would you like a lesson, sir, in the rules of war?" the leader snarled, pointing his pistol at Father's chest. Then he smiled, a cold, cruel smile. "Or perhaps your children would.?" He raised the gun to point at the porch, and Abegail clung to Susan desperately while Anna held Thomas and Nathan and Samuel behind her, shielding them with her body. The leader noticed this.  
  
"Come here, pretty girl," he said coldly. Anna looked around, not sure of who he was talking to. He aimed his pistol right at her chest. "I said 'Come here'," he snarled angrily, and she hurriedly stepped forward, her eyes never leaving the leader. He smiled at her coldly, his eyes lingering where they wanted. She glared.  
  
"I have a gift for you," he said. He dug into his pouch and pulled out a gold necklace, studded with emeralds, diamonds, and sapphires. It was the most beautiful piece of jewelry she had ever seen, but she refused to look impressed. He handed it grandly over to her, motioning on of his guards to put it on her. "I hope you're impressed with this little tidbit," he said grandly. Anna fingered the heaviness in her delicate fingers, raising her eyes to his arrogant face.  
  
"This is beautiful," she said quietly, "but there's just one problem." With that, she unclipped it from the back and threw it as hard as she could to the floor. With a crack, it separated into three pieces. "It's broken," she said innocently, her face full of defiance as his face reddened with anger. Father stepped in front of her and shoved her back up to the porch, where Thomas grinned at her.  
  
"Sir," Father implored, "I beg of you-"  
  
"Father," Gabriel hissed under his breath, but the leader heard him, smiling cruelly.  
  
"Oh, I see," he said. "He's your son." He turned to the soldiers. "Tie his hands together."  
  
Gabriel steadied himself as he was jerked forward by the soldiers. Father returned to the porch, defeated.  
  
"Father," Thomas cried, amazed. "Do something!"  
  
"Be quiet," Father hissed. Thomas looked from side to side, being shoved aside as the soldiers entered the house and porch. He looked up to see Gabriel having his hands tied together. In a split second that lasted a lifetime, he sprinted from the front porch. Anna, feeling him leave her, raced after him. Father turned, watching his son sprint towards the soldiers and smash into them.  
  
"Gabriel, run!" he screamed just as Anna reached him, jerking him towards her and facing him.  
  
"Thomas! Anna!" Father cried, racing from the porch as the leader aimed his pistol at Anna's unaware form.  
  
"What, are you crazy?" Anna shrieked at Thomas, her hands squeezing his shoulders.  
  
"Wait!" Father cried as the leader pulled the trigger. Anna's eyes widened and a cry escaped her lips, her back arching and her arms flying forward. One more bullet was fired as she fell, and Thomas shuddered from the force of the bullet to the chest. Father caught Anna as she crumpled to the ground, crying, "Anna! Thomas!" The boy soon fell into his arms, gasping for breath and from the pain. He held their heads in his hands, each balanced on a knee, as the bells from the church across town tolled.  
  
"Thomas! Anna!" Gabriel cried, trying to escape the soldier's grasp to get to their side. He held firm, shoving him behind the wagon as Gabriel screamed. "NOOOOOOOO!"  
  
Father looked up to the leader, his children dying in his arms, with his gentle blue eyes, pleading for a reason of the murders.  
  
"Stupid girl," he said coldly. "As stupid as the boy." Father's eyes hardened as he felt the air tighten in Anna's chest, and he turned to them. The leader looked up.  
  
"Captain, the torches." And he galloped away. Meg, watching all this from the porch with the others, ran from the porch with Susan and her brothers.  
  
"Thomas!"  
  
"Anna!"  
  
Anna clutched Thomas's hand in hers. "My heart dies with you," she gasped, her breath slowing. He squeezed her hand tightly, the color draining from his face. Meg struggled not to cry.  
  
And in the space of a few moments, life was stolen. All the pain and struggle was erased from Anna's face, her eyes closed and her mouth slightly open, her expressions slack. And in the time it takes to count to two, the same happened to Thomas. And Father was left cradling his two dearest children, and he looked up. Gabriel was still looking to see his brother and sister, slowly being led away. Father let his hands run up and down their cooling cheeks, feeling the tears but not letting them fall. 


	7. Epilogue

Epilogue  
  
Margaret tearfully watched her father and her brothers (except the youngest, William) run into the woods, intent on rescuing Gabriel and leaving the bodies of her sister and brother sprawled on the ground. Thomas was laid down on his back, his hands out-reached and his legs buckled. Anna was on her side, her arms crossing each other and her legs bent. Margaret shook her head. That wasn't how they looked in real-life.  
  
She walked tremblingly over to Thomas, and slowly reached out a hand to touch him. His skin was cooler than normal and stiff beneath the skin. Margaret's tears made little puddles on his arms. Susan and William sat on the porch, the one thing not completely burned by the British.  
  
Sniffling, Margaret grabbed Thomas's arm and pulled him nearer to Anna. Then she dragged him counter-clockwise so they were head-to-head instead of head-to-feet. She pulled him up so that he and Anna were equal.  
  
"Papa's gonna be mad," William called from the porch, but Margaret ignored him. She didn't move Anna; she had been her closest sister and it broke her heart to look at her slack face.  
  
She inched Thomas closer to her until his forehead was resting against her shoulder. Margaret moved his arms so that they were bent at the elbows and came up to his face and his hands rested at his collarbone. She left his legs bent together. She moved Anna's arm so that her hand grabbed Thomas's elbow, and she lowered her sister's head so that it was buried in his hair. Now that dark hair was speckled with tears.  
  
"Meg, whatcha do that for?" William demanded, tugging on her hand.  
  
"It-it seemed right," she said softly, and William looked. It was true; he had often seen Anna hugging Thomas like that. Susan cried quietly on the porch, clutching her doll close to her.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
Meg gasped when Father returned with her brothers, bloody and tired and worn. Father stopped at the sight of his dead children, but quickly walked over to them, studying how they were lying.  
  
"Meg," he said quietly. "Did you do this?"  
  
"Yes, Papa," she said, equally quiet.  
  
"Why?"  
  
She looked up into Father's eyes, her own spilling over with salty tears. "Because that's the way they always had been. And th-that's how they would've l-liked it."  
  
Gabriel came alongside Father, a lone tear falling. He gently ran his finger's thru Anna's soft hair, and stroked Thomas's bloody cheek. Father was a stone, and he knelt down and studied the space between the two's bodies.  
  
There was the leather sack Thomas always carried around with him. Metal soldiers spilled onto the dirt, some of them covered with blood. Father put a hand over his eyes, struggling desperately not to weep for his two children. With a loud clearing of the throat, he gently picked up Thomas's limp body in his arms.  
  
"Gabriel," he said softly. "Bring your sister."  
  
Gabriel did as he was told, gently cradling his sister's head against his shoulder, her hair brushing his arms like a rose's petals or a dragonfly's delicate wings. She was still as lightweight as she'd always been. Gabriel noticed tiny teardrops falling on her throat. Then he realized they were his own.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
The family stood beside the two new graves, the homemade and quickly created crosses etched with the names Anna Elizabeth Martin and Thomas George Martin. Father said a quick prayer, his tears choking him, and the little girls wept in each other's arms. Nathan put an arm around Samuel and William, his tears slowly streaking his dirty face. William sniffled, and Samuel wiped his nose on his sleeve. Gabriel stood silent, his grief wrapped in an iron cage. Father cried, but it was very short, only one tear. But they all knew his grief was deep. And that someone would pay for it.  
  
A/N: That's as far as I'm going. No more Anna, and she's the only reason I started this whole thing in the first place, so why bother? I hope you enjoyed reading this as much I enjoyed writing it. 


End file.
